


threat

by evzaaa



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Character Development, Enemies to Lovers, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Happy Ending, Rivalry, Sassy Hermione Granger, and other characters because i'm lazy to tag, annoying draco but he will Evolve, im tired of heavy angst we going Growth of characters, just hogwarts but in normalcy, no wars, takes place throughout all 7 years if im in the mood, voldermolt does not exist we past the need of evil villians
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-25
Updated: 2021-03-02
Packaged: 2021-03-16 05:55:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,382
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29696064
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/evzaaa/pseuds/evzaaa
Summary: “Is this how you look like when you lose? It's an ugly look on you,”“You think you can get to me, don’t you, Granger?”“I don’t think so, Malfoy. I know so. Unlike you, I’m not threatened by you at all. Try harder next time,”And with that, she pushed him away from her and walked away, satisfied about leaving the pure-blooded kid speechless.
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy
Kudos: 8





	1. prologue

The first time Hermione met Draco Malfoy was on the first day of her First Year in Hogwarts. 

He was, just as she expected. Arrogant, snotty, judgemental, and overall an awful person. She knew that if her existence was ever known to him, she will be called endless names. 

Muggle-born bitch. 

Gryffindor’s Know-It-All. 

_Mudblood. ___

__Her mom has always told her to be strong-headed, not caring about what others had to say about her. She was a smart girl, she knew that. She didn’t have anything to worry about. Having read the numerous spell-books even before her class started, she knew she would be a threat to the other students aiming for first place._ _

__That included Draco Malfoy himself._ _

__The self-proclaimed genius, until Hermione, the lowly muggle-born, was able to beat him to it. He never failed to remind her about it either._ _

__“You filthy little mudblood! How dare you take over my place?” He hissed, cornering her after receiving their end of first-year exam results. Hermione snorted, finding the situation amusing. She folded her arms across her chest, stepping closer to him and was able to see that her nonchalance made him falter._ _

__“Is this how you look like when you lose? It's an ugly look on you,”_ _

__She could see his ears getting red and if they were in a cartoon right now, she could probably see steam coming out of it. It was comical but she held in her laughter. He hit his palm against the wall beside her head and got even closer to her face,_ _

__“You think you can get to me, don’t you, Granger?”_ _

__“I don’t think so, Malfoy. I know so. Unlike you, I’m not threatened by you at all. Try harder next time,” And with that, she pushed him away from her and walked away, satisfied about leaving the pure-blooded kid speechless._ _

___And that was how their rivalry started. ____ _


	2. chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _“Apologize,”_
> 
> _“To who?”_
> 
> _“Me. Apologize to me, Malfoy,” ___

“I got selected to play as the Seeker for Gryffindor’s Quidditch Team,” 

“Congratulations?” 

“Blimey, Hermione, at least pretend to be excited about it,” 

It was their second year in Hogwarts and things were getting relatively easier to get used to. The division of each house is apparent, especially with the Slytherin house. They do not mix around with others, always staying with people they know. The others are fine, though. 

It was lunchtime, everybody was immersed in their conversations including Hermione herself and her two best friends, Harry Potter and Ron Weasley, who were sitting opposite of her. While Hermione was known for her grades, Harry was known for his bravery and leadership, and Ron was known to be knowledgeable about the wizarding world, especially regarding Hogwarts. 

“Sorry, I just don’t see the appeal in it. It’s just people on brooms, flying around catching a tiny flying ball and seeing who wins. Also, you can die from it,” Hermione explained, receiving deadpanned looks from the boys. 

“Always the pessimist, aren’t you?” Ron teased, glancing at Hermione before getting back to the chicken pie he was eating. She rolled her eyes and closed the book she was reading. 

“It’s called being a realist. 

She then turned to Harry, 

Nonetheless, it’s still a great achievement so congratulations Harry. I hope you will have lots of fun playing for the team,” Hermione says smiling, squeezing Harry’s hand in reassurance. He returned the gesture with a smile of his own. 

“I heard Malfoy’s playing too. I guess he couldn’t stand Harry being the only youngest player in the team,” Ron uttered, his eyes moving towards the Slytherin table. 

Hermione did too, spotting the usual blond-haired asshole talking with his friends. He must have sensed someone staring at him because his eyes flicked to her, giving her a death stare before resuming back to his conversation. 

“Makes sense, he’s power-hungry after all,” She trailed off, her eyes not shifting away from him. 

** 

Enjoying the fresh air that rarely comes with Hogwarts’ indecisive weather, Hermione decided to spend her afternoon on the bench located near the Quidditch pitch. From where they were sitting, they could see the game, and Ron, a fan of the sport, decided to join her as well. 

She was reading A Midsummer Night’s Dream, a Muggle book, when she heard some commotion between Gryffindor and Slytherin’s Quidditch teams on the pitch. 

“Uh oh, I smell trouble,” Ron mumbled, immediately heading to the pitch. 

She hesitated at first, wanting to mind her own business, but she was here and Harry’s team was the center of attention so she wanted to know what was going on.

“... the pitch is being used to train the new seeker, Draco Malfoy, alright I know this, but why is he given the special treatment?” Oliver Woods, Gryffindor’s Captain, questioned. Draco revealed himself to the front of the tall boys and with confidence he said, 

“Well, thanks to my father, he has provided the best for our team with these new brooms. It’s helping the team improve their skills so the odds are in our favour. Crazy how money works huh?” 

”Your skills must have been inadequate for you to buy your way in, Malfoy,” Hermione muttered, staring at Draco specifically. Folding her arms, she gave him the fakest smile she could give and received a pissed-off Malfoy on her end. She knew the effect she had on him.

He was way too easy to rile up. 

“Nobody asked for your opinion, you filthy little mudblood,” He growled, emphasizing that word. It was the first time he called her that in public, and honestly, she was embarrassed. But she was not going to let her expressions show that she was bothered. If Malfoy wanted to play dirty, so could she. 

“You will pay for that one—“ Ron says, already taking out his wand but Hermione stops him, wanting to deal with this asshole herself. 

“No. Let me handle this,” She took out her wand, pointing it to the boy in front of her. The two teams were staring at her intently, not doing anything to stop them. 

“Apologize,” She says, giving him a cold look and the boy dared to look smug. 

“To who?” 

“Me. Apologize to me, Malfoy,” He snorted when he heard this and that made Hermione’s blood boil even more. 

“And why will I do that-“ 

“Ranafors!” 

And within a second, the boy turned into a little green frog. There was laughter among the two teams and she chuckled, glad that the spell worked. 

“Granger! Turn me back to normal this instant!” He still had his voice and he was jumping up now to get his point across. When she approached even closer to him, he stayed to the ground so she crouched down to his level and whispered, 

“Apologize to me and I will turn you back,” 

It took him several seconds but with a desperate yell, “Fine, I’m sorry!” 

It was hardly a sincere apology but his desperate eyes were worth it so she turned him back to his original form and muttered a “Pathetic,” before walking off in the other direction. Ron followed closely behind her and gave him the finger before walking off too. Offering a high five, she gave him one before laughing their asses off at Draco’s ridiculous frog form. 

“You’re amazing, Hermione,” 

“As always,” 

** 

“Hermione, are you alright?” Harry asked, startling Hermione. The three of them were now in Gryffindor’s common room since Harry was done with practice. Harry sat on the sofa while the other two were sitting on the carpet, on the floor. So when Harry asked the question, he could not see the hesitation in her eyes. 

“Why wouldn’t I be?” She calmly asked, knowing exactly what he meant. Harry was perceptive, maybe too much so because he could always tell when someone seemed off. 

“At the pitch, may I ask what did Malfoy call you? I didn’t know what it meant but it must have been really bad,” Ron looked at Harry in panic, signaling him to cut it out. He must have remained silent about the whole issue, in order not to offend her. 

“He called me a Mudblood. It means dirty blood, it’s a foul name for someone who is muggle-born. Someone like me,” 

“I ought to beat his ass—“ Harry was about to stand up but Ron stopped him, trying to calm him down. 

“Alright, mate, calm your horses down. He was already dealt with,” 

“It’s not the first time Malfoy called me names like that. It is his first time calling me that in public though,” Hermione says casually, earning sympathetic looks from the boys. 

“You know you’re not, right? You’re perfect the way you are, Hermione,” Harry says, hugging her from the back. 

“Yes, you are. That boy doesn’t know what he’s talking about,” Ron added, hugging her from the side too.

“I’m fine you guys. I expected this before I came to Hogwarts,” The boys wanted to retort back that it still didn’t make the situation better but she gave them both a reassuring smile, clearly wanting a topic change so they reluctantly obliged. 

_Did it hurt the first time? ___

__She couldn’t deny it and say that it didn’t._ _

__But that’s the thing about getting used to the pain. It subsides. Hermione hasn’t decided whether it was a relief that she was getting less affected by it or furious that it meant getting hurt continuously for it not to affect her anymore._ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hii ,, i know that harry potter is set in british but i do learn how to use both american and british english so im sorry if i do mix them up and i hope that does not bother you!


	3. chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _“I wonder what your boggart is, Granger. Something stupid, I reckon,”_
> 
> _“And what do you think yours is? Daddy calling you a disappointment?” ___

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw warning: anxiety/panic attacks. 
> 
> i honestly feel like this chapter is about to be Bad but im trusting myself for now and believe that it is decent? idk? if it is horrible, i apologize. i will do better. speaking of which, i cannot wait for the next two chapters because it’s about to be angsty :)

Fear. 

The only thing humans have in common is that everyone has a fear. No matter how irrational or specific it is, it’s there and no one should judge it. Getting to know someone’s fear meant being aware of their significant weaknesses. What you do with that information determines what kind of person you are. 

Hermione was great at concealing her fears, always appearing brave in front of her friends and family. None of them knew what lay behind the four walls of her room when she goes through something traumatic. 

And she intended to keep it that way. 

“Intriguing, isn’t it?” Professor Lupin’s voice echoed, interrupting her train of thought. She brought her focus back to her classroom and momentarily forgets that there was a wardrobe of some kind in the middle of it. 

“Anyone would like to venture a guess as to what is inside?” 

“It’s a boggart, sir,” One of her classmates answered, earning a “Correct!” from the middle-aged man. 

“Then, can anybody tell me what a boggart looks like?” 

“No one really knows. Boggarts are shapeshifters. They take the shape of a particular person someone fears the most. Which is what makes them so terrifying,” Hermione explained, receiving understanding looks from her classmates. She spotted Draco at the corner of her eye, rolling his eyes at her as per usual. 

“Indeed, Miss Granger. There is a simple charm to repel a boggart. Let’s practice it now. No wands, please. After me, Riddikulus!” 

“Riddikulus!” The whole class chanted. 

“Alright, louder and clearer!” 

“Riddikulus!” 

“This class is ridiculous,” Draco retorted, where only a selected few could hear it. Which included Hermione and she had to admit, she silently agreed with him on that one. Why will anyone want to go through their fears anyway? In front of everyone at that, where they can see and use your fears against you. 

“However, the charm is not enough. What effectively defeats a boggart is laughter. You need to force it to assume a shape you find completely amusing. Neville, would you care to demonstrate to the class how it works?” 

Neville stepped to the front of the class cautiously, not used to being the center of attention. 

“Come on, don’t be shy,” Professor Lupin encouraged, smiled when Neville finally dared to look him in the eye. 

“Now, Neville, what frightens you the most?” 

“Professor Snape,” He mumbled lowly, earning a roar of laughter from the class. 

“Professor Snape, huh? Reasonable, I suppose. I also believe that you live with your grandmother?” 

“Yes I do, but I don’t want that boggart to turn into her either,” Even more laughter erupted from the class, making the boy even more embarrassed. The wardrobe behind the man started shaking, possibly from anticipation. 

“It won’t. Now, I want you to picture her clothes. Only her clothes,” 

“She carries a red handbag—“ 

“We don’t need to hear it. If you can picture it, we will be able to see it,” The man says, approaching Neville and whispered, 

“When the wardrobe opens, I want you to imagine Professor Snape in your grandmother’s clothes. Can you do that?” Neville nodded, despite being unsure of himself. 

“Wand at the ready!” The whole class remained silent, anticipating the outcome. The wardrobe opened, revealing Professor Snape in his usual black attire and Hermione could see Neville shaking at his feet. 

“Think, Neville, think,” 

“Riddikulus!” When Neville pointed his wand at the boggart, it immediately shape-shifted into Professor Snape but in his grandmother’s clothes indeed. The whole class laughed at the amusing sight of one of the toughest men in such ridiculous clothing and Neville visibly sighed in relief. 

“Wonderful, Neville! Now, it’s for the rest of the class to try. To the back you go, Neville,” 

Hermione dreaded this moment. She didn’t want to be exposed to her classmates too fast so she opted to go to the furthest back of the row—hoping that the class ends earlier than she thought. The Slytherins seemed to be doing the same thing. She spotted Draco and his friends, pushing the rest of the classmates to the front and that included her since she felt a push. She turned around, glaring at the culprit himself and folding her arms. 

“I wonder what your boggart is, Granger. Something stupid, I reckon,” He commented, giving her a smirk. 

“And what do you think yours is? Daddy calling you a disappointment?” 

Hermione knew it was a low blow, highly aware that the boy respected his father to a fault. It didn’t take an actual genius to figure that out and it’s not her fault he made it very obvious either. She could see his expression falter and his smirk had turned into a scowl.

“Don’t talk about my father,” 

“Don’t talk to me then,” She replied with ease and turned her back on him. 

“Now, I can see that most of you are still wary about the boggart. May I ask, Miss Granger, for you to display how it could be done?” 

Perhaps being the smartest person in the room had its repercussions. 

But not being one to back down from a challenge, she nodded her head and moved to the front of the class. She took a deep breath, silently begged for her body to calm down. 

However, when the boggart shapeshifted into Professor McGonagall, she knew. 

She wasn’t going to be able to do this. 

_“You have failed all your exams, Miss Granger. I must say that I’m thoroughly disappointed. But that should be on me, I suppose. A Muggle-born like yourself lasted long enough, I must congratulate you on that,” And then she could see the boggart turned into something else._

_Test papers with low marks imprinted on them. Professor McGonagall’s words kept repeating while the test papers were being shoved to her face._

_She couldn’t breathe._

_She couldn’t register what was happening._

_She knew that this was just a boggart messing with her head, but that did not make her heartbeat slow down even a bit. Her hand started shaking and she wanted to, she wanted to do something badly so that she could prove to her classmates that she was strong._

_She’s not a coward to run away from her fears just like that._

_So she tries._

_She tries so hard to imagine something amusing, something that she laughs over on a daily but nothing comes to mind. All that she could hear and see was,_

_“A failure, that’s what you are,” Her classmates chanted, laughing at her misery._

__A loud “Riddikulus!” was what brought her back to reality. She blinked her eyes, trying to piece what exactly happened together. Her whole body was on the floor, engulfed in a hug, and judging by the scent, it was Harry. Shifting her eyes to the left, she spotted Ron looking at her in worry, and with a few more blinks, did she realize that she was still very much in the classroom._ _

__She was greeted with pity looks from everyone, and a surge of humiliation consumed her._ _

__Her outburst was there for everyone to see._ _

__“Are you alright, Miss Granger?”_ _

__Not wanting to respond, she pushed Harry away and tried her best to stand up on her own two feet._ _

__And bolted for the door._ _

__For the first time in her life, people could see the cracks that she tried so hard to conceal. It infuriated her, and it was making her want to smash things apart._ _

__

__**_ _

__Guilt._ _

__Draco Malfoy was unfamiliar with the concept._ _

__But seeing his arch-nemesis running off like that, he could only describe the unsettling feeling in his chest as guilt. He was supposed to relish in her misery, no? The satisfaction, the sweet taste of revenge that he was anticipating to come didn’t. He did not enjoy seeing her in that state, not one bit. And he’s too frustrated to figure out exactly why._ _

__“Gryffindor’s Princess does have weaknesses after all,” Goyle snickered, and the rest of the Slytherins laughed at that. Only Draco didn’t._ _

__He knew why he couldn’t. The horror of failure was completely understandable to him and he knew exactly what it felt like for someone to be disappointed in him. He can’t possibly shame her for having a fear that was similar to his. That would be hypocritical and he would be damned if he was one._ _

__“Tell the professor I’m feeling icky right now and I have to go,” Draco quickly informed the boys, not waiting for a reply, and ran out for the door. They tried to call out to him to get back in there but he blocked it all out as he sprinted along the halls of the schools, searching._ _

__He didn’t know where exactly he’s going, or what he’s doing. Why is he even running to the person that he never cared about? But his feet couldn’t stop moving, his heartbeat kept rising and he can’t help but feel the heavy feeling settling down in his chest, haunting him. He felt like a maniac, running around, so he took a break for a breather._ _

__Then, he started backtracking his steps._ _

__They had been rivals for years, clearly, he knew a lot of things about her. His father had always mentioned that keeping tabs on someone that was a threat to your vision was important. So he had been doing that. Of course, he did not stalk the girl or invaded her privacy, he just noticed a lot of things about her._ _

__How on Tuesdays and Thursdays, her hair was bushier than most days. Her best friends were Potter and Weasley but she has no problems making friends anywhere she goes. The library is probably her favorite place in the school because he frequently sees her there, buried in a book. Her favorite day of the week was perhaps Wednesday because he always heard her raving about Wednesday’s specials for all three meals of the day._ _

__You know, just little things about a person if you observed enough._ _

__He checked the library too, in case she decided to pick there for some peace but nothing._ _

__What was he going to say to her when he finally found her anyway?_ _

__It was foolish._ _

__He needed some fresh air, maybe things would make much more sense then. So, taking a break from his scavenger hunt, he apparated himself to the Astronomy Tower. Walking to the edge of the tower without even looking around him, he admired the view that was presented to him. The tower was usually empty during classes so he would be here sometimes when the stress of school gets too much for him. Expecting no one to be there, he let out a huge sigh and questioned, “What am I even doing?” loudly. It was when he heard a very familiar voice did he realize that he was not alone._ _

___“Malfoy?” ____ _

**Author's Note:**

> just thinking of high school/college enemies to lovers dramione but in hogwarts and well, here it is! i hope you enjoy!


End file.
